USS Green Bay

Arrives in Cairns

ICOM IC-M23

Question: When is an ICOM IC-M23 not an ICOM IC-M23.

Answer: Always.

And this is the story. I have two handheld radios on board Reboot. Despite changing them, installing new batteries and being very careful in their use they always die long before I am done. Since a handheld is a major safety item in the dinghy I decided I better purchase a new one before heading to Indonesia. Icom™ makes excellent radio equipment. They were my choice. I purchased the IC-M23 as I only needed a budget model. My only concern was the charger. Australia is 240V 50Hz and Reboot is wired for 110V 60Hz. Most new electronics come with "world chargers" as did the Icom. A simple plug adapter and I was good to go. Or so I thought. I was wrong. It turns out that Icom tailors their radios to "country of use." As a world cruiser my answer is of course ALL OF THEM! That is not how it works. My new radio has International and US channel sets but does not have Canadian or ATIS. Interesting. And disappointing. Another lesson learned the hard way.

Fair winds and following seas :)

AIS and Marine Traffic

Whenever I leave Reboot at anchor I am always concerned that she will drag. In the past there was no way of knowing. Enter AIS and web based tracking systems like Marine Traffic. If the AIS pn Reboot is left on I can get detailed position information from my web browser. It is usually not. Ore than a couple of minutes old. I can look up Reboot and confirm she is still in the same place. Nice.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Worst Solar Day

Today is the solstice. If you are "down under" as Reboot is at the moment it is the shortest day of the year. If I was "home" (home is where the IRS thinks I live) then it is the longest day of the year. So, happy solstice!

As a cruising sailor today has significant emotional connotations. Long term cruising viability depends on two things: food and power. It is unlikely that one could catch enough food to survive in the long term. So we provision. Power on the other hand represents a set of trade offs. We can use fuel to move or make water. We use it to run the navigation electronics, communications and lights. Reboot has two sources of fuel: diesel and solar. (Some boats also have wind generators.) Since like food we can only replenish diesel in port solar is a very significant source of power.

Today is the worst day for solar power generation. (Yes, rainy and cloudy days are bad but they are not cyclical.) The shortest day means least power generation, the longest night most power usage. For the past month we have been very careful in our electricity usage. We will have to continue to be for the next month but we have turned the corner. A nice feeling.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Solar woes

Having solar panels on a cruising sailboat is just about a given. People talk about how many watts of solar they have. But I was reminded that sometimes it just doesn't work out. On my trip from Gladstone to Cairns I was heading North(ish) the entire way. The sails shaded the solar panels. Even on a bright sunny day I did not get much charge. Fair winds and following seas :)

Not great sailing

Fair winds and following seas :)

Captain Roger J Jones

MOVREP 171835ZJUN2017 Reboot

Underway to Cairns

20 15.898 S
148 43.087 E
Course 345 T
Speed 4.0 Knots
Wind SW 10
Wave Flat
Sky Clear with ground haze
Baro 1021

1 POB + 1 (wonder) cat + cat material
ETA 3 days

Captain Roger J Jones

Night Lights

I am in the anchorage area of Airlie Beach. Since I am on the edge I leave my AIS on and show an anchor light at night. There are a large number of boats on mooring balls. They don't show anchor lights. At night I feel like I am alone but when the sun comes up i have dozens of boats near me. It is a very strange feeling.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Scarry

I recently had a very scarry experience. We who use Facebook all know that we are told that FB is concerned about our privacy. Maybe, but not from FB. Of course the "add friends who are not on Facebook yet" comes from uploading your contacts. Now you can turn this off but that just stops the updates. Apparently you can delete the original upload but I have been unsuccessful finding the switch.

But here is what happened that is even more concerning. It happened in "people you might know." One suggestion linked to a beautiful young girl. I had no idea who she was or why she was suggested . After a couple of hours of subconscious though it dawned on me that 20 years ago I knew a man near my age with the same last name. He had a beautiful wife and at least one very young daughter. We have not spoken nor emailed each other in 20 years. My current Facebook email address did not exist 20 years ago. You have guessed the punchline. This beautiful young woman was his grown up daughter. Somehow Facebook had figured out a connection. I ask, how is this protecting my (or her, or his) privacy?

Fair winds and following seas :)

SITREP 150316ZJUN2017

At anchor, Airlie Beach

20 15.309 S
148 43.701 E

Interesting transit. Mostly moderate winds and seas. Wind would die at sunset and come back several hours later. Until I got within 25 nm of Airlie Beach. Then 6' waves and 25 knot winds. Made for a long final approach. Now at anchor. Will relax and make sure the anchor has a good set. Into town tomorrow. Fair winds and following seas :)

MOVREP 142100ZJUN2017 (Reboot)

20 37.766 S
149 00.436 E
Course 338 T
Speed 7.0 knots
Wind S 23 G 27
Wave S 4 - 6 feet
Sky 40% Cumulus
Barometer 1024

38.6 NM to Airlie Beach

All OK

MOVREP 091800ZJUN2917

21 55.799 S
150 25.149 E
Course 308 True
Speed 4.5 knots
Wind SSE 18 knots
Wave SW 3-5 feet
Sky 10%
Barometer 1025

142 nm to go

All OK. Near Townshend Island. Pretty night. Almost full moon. XO has been very needy. Wants to cuddle for warmth. He had a pukie moment but managed to not throw up. I think he is dealing with a hairball and I will see it soon.

Doing some detailed planning for Indonesia. Apparently very few services until we get to Bali. That means being provisioned for the transit and another six weeks. After Airlie Beach I stop in Cairns for mail and on to the rally fleet rendezvous at Thursday Island. It looks to me like the best place to load up will be Arlie. So provisioning like an ocean transit. My wallet will take a hit!

One of the hardest things to find when I was island hopping in the Pacific was pet supplies. I will have to bulk up on litter and food. Should be fun to find a place to store everything. Fortunately I took advantage of my Pacific crossing experience and have added spares for Reboot: filters, fluids, fuses, etc. The sails, standing rigging and ground tackle are pretty new so I hope not to have issues with them. We will see how it goes. My crewmember running over a wreck and causing $3,500 damage wasn't planned either. Nor was his well it's your boat so eat the cost attitude.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Apparent Wind

The wind is so light that even though it is coming almost from the stern the boat motion has shifted it so I am close hauled. No, I am not going anywhere fast. Fair winds and following seas :)

MOVREP (Reboot)

All OK

130321ZJUN2017

22 39.928 S
150 55.961 E
Course 336 T
Speed 4.5 kt

Wind S 12.3 (True wind)
Wave WSW 3 feet
Baro 1022 - 2
Sky Clear

211 nm to go

Fair winds and following seas :)

Peaked Island

OK! I am alone out here except for the cat! Fair winds and following seas :)

North to Airlie Beach

Lots of islands to miss north of Gladstone. Fair winds and following seas :)

Underway Again

After several hours at anchor waiting for the wind shift it finally came. Weird to anchor 3 miles offshore but did not want to drop by mistake on the Great Barrier Reef. Plus, the further one goes in, the further one must sail out. Fair winds and following seas :)

Forecast

Underway to Airlie Beach. The forecast is for winds from the South. I am heading Northeast. Of course the winds are from the Northeast. Quality. Fair winds and following seas :)

XO Prepares for Sea

Yes, he is under there somewhere. Fair winds and following seas :)

Its Finest Hour

Is over. Can not complain too much. It lasted 22 years. That is not completely true. This was the GPS readout. The sensor lost its mind in 2007. The readout was still valuable as it got data off the bus. Fa winds and following seas :)

Keeping Watch

XO on the bridge

Victory

The new coffee pot!

Aussie Navy

My new Aussie Navy hat. Fair winds and following seas :)

London Attack

This is not a post about sailing...

As I travel the world I am frequently asked about the "gun culture" of the USA. I usually answer that except for acquaintances who hunt and an occasional trip to the range I don't really know much about it other than the right to arm oneself is burned into the American psyche.

As I read the most recent news about London it struck me that this could have happened in New York, LA, Chicago (where only gang members carry) or a number of other major cities in the US. All have taken intense steps to disarm their law abiding citizens. Since every major massacre in the US in recent history has taken place in a "gun free zone" this strategy seems to have major problems.

I don't know the right answer. But the fact is that there are thousands of these crazy people in Europe and the USA already. More border controls may keep more out but that is just closing the barn door after the horse is gone. I don't see "shelter in place" a viable strategy unless we change the architecture of our buildings.

One would think that sailing would extract oneself from the danger. But the truth is that many of the places we visit have similar problems.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Upwind woes

Question:

Reboot (a 42' Catalina) is an excellent light air boat. That is great most of the time. Rounding Fisher Island into Hervey Bay (near Bundaberg, Australia) I was confronted with 25 knot winds gusting 30 and 2 meter breaking seas. My destination (Bundaberg) was directly up wind. With my jib set at 30% of "J" I was close to theoretical hull speed. My main was on the "fourth reef", that is the furling bag on the boom. I couldn't point high enough to make any real headway. When I tacked the set and drift nullified my progress. I was solo sailing but considered putting up the main to the third reef to point higher. I was very concerned that I'll lose control if I did. Being solo means all sail changes are very slow. Thoughts on how you would handle this situation?

Postscript: Finding myself blown 25 nm north of Bundaberg with wind and wave forecast unchanged for the next three days and low on fuel I boogied to Gladstone. I considered motoring into Bundaberg but could only make about 2 knots SOG. My fuel would have run out long before my arrival.

Post Postscript: I was coming off a long transit. Suggestions to wait for better weather would not be appreciated.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Gladstone

Yes, it's a major port. The John Wulff.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Deck Stuff

Always interesting what you find on deck after a transit. Fair winds and following seas :)

Tasman Sea

Goodbye to the Tasman sea. Hello again Coral Sea. I was told that the trip to Sydney was pretty easy and the trip back not so much. Sage advice. I left Sydney with two crew. After several days of miserable conditions we decided to go into Scarborough to refuel. They decided to bail as one of them was seasick for the entire trip. I got fuel. The forecast was for strong Southerly winds. Rather than getting beaten up anchored off Scarborough I decided to continue North. Decent trip until I reached the top of Fisher Island. Made the turn and headed for Bundaberg. Which of course was directly upwind. I made it across Hervey Bay in 25 to 30 knot winds and 6 to 9 foot seas. I ended up about 20 nm north of the harbor entrance as that was the best course I could hold. I anchored overnight and rolled and pitched. In the morning the wind had not abated and the forecast was for at least 3 more days of strong southeastern winds. I gave up and decided to head down wind to Gladstone. This of course means I will need to hire a car to drive back to Bundaberg and pick up my deliveries. Oh well.

Now I am back in the Coral Sea but behind the Great Barrier Reef. Not much protection at the moment. Winds Southeast at 25 knots and 6 foot seas. At least I am heading downwind.

Fair winds and following seas :)

Reboot MOVREP

Wind, waves and the forecast (not to mention my fuel state) are conspiring against making port in Bundaberg. Am heading north to Gladstone.

I will miss Bundaberg. It was my first port of call in Australia.

Fair winds and following seas :)

US Tax Structure as Candy

Well done!

http://www.wsj.com/video/talking-taxes-whats-your-fair-share/D330A342-E16E-4AC4-BE93-7813BD9B5557.html

Boat Bite

This is why I always wear a harness, life jacket, and PLB (personal locator beacon) in the cockpit and on deck. I was leaning over the grill to work on something when the grill decided to tip over. It is attached to the safety rail. Over I went with it. Fortunately, I did the drop with the knees and stayed in Reboot. Scary. The tension on the harness was most welcome. I did not, however, emerge unscathed.

Fair winds and following seas :)